The UnitedLinux Dark Horse: Conectiva

Who Are They, And What Do They Bring to the Table?

June 24, 2002

By
Dee-Ann LeBlanc

If you watch Linux-related news, then for the last few weeks it's been
hard to do anything without running into pronouncements about
UnitedLinux. UnitedLinux is certainly a curious beast, a kind of Tuxed-out Cerberus with four heads, where more might sprout out at any
moment. Let's move through some of the hype and guesswork and take a look at one of the lesser-known heads--at least, lesser-known in English-speaking Linux markets.

Conectiva is a Latin American Linux distribution from Brazil that aims primarily
at the Spanish and Portuguese speaking audience. If you've taken a
close look at the UnitedLinux partners, you'll notice that this
project is definitely a worldwide effort, with distributions
specializing in a variety of languages and geographical areas (SuSE is
ultimately a German distribution, and TurboLinux focuses heavily on
the Asian market).